Sunday, October 29, 2017

After You by Cyril Wong

I've always found Cyril Wong's poetry to be rather cryptic (what little I've read of them) so it was rather unusual for me to purchase one of his books from Books Actually when I was there recently.

But this one is different from the rest. A cursory reading made me rather interested in this thin volume and I felt compelled to buy it.

This is a collection of poems devoted to his partner and the thread of dedicated love runs seamlessly through the entire book. Regardless of whether the poem dealt with the themes of death, life in Singapore, gayness, the intense love for his partner is apparent.

I was gushing about it to my friend who teaches English Literature and she commented that the poems were rather "romantic". I feel that they are so much more than that. They are exuding affection with a dash of sobering reality. I must admit that I don't do the book justice.

As such, I would recommend that everyone read this book. My favourite is "Temple", what about yours?